Meghdad AsadiLari

Assistant Professor | School of Film and Animation | College of Art and Design | RIT

Case Study 2D: Aye Zindagi (Oh Life!)

Project Overview:

Aye Zindagi is a 2022 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by Dr. Anirban Bose, a Rochester-based physician, and produced by Platoon One Films. Based on a true story about organ donation, the film received a theatrical release in India and North America in October 2022.

The scope of work covered the full VFX pipeline from pre-production through final delivery, including camera tracking and matchmove, integration of drone footage provided by the director, CG car rigging, animation supervision in Maya, sky replacement in After Effects, smoke and steam particle effects using Niagara systems in Unreal Engine, and color correction and scene assembly. The final deliverable was a 30-second sequence exported at DPX 4K 24fps in 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio.

My Role:

I served as VFX Supervisor for the film's opening car crash sequence, a role that came through RIT's MAGIC Spell Studios. The sequence required a fully CG approach: the crash was too complex and dangerous to achieve in live action while meeting the photorealistic standards required to blend seamlessly with the surrounding footage.

Two RIT students were supervised through the production process; I provided hands-on production oversight and took on the more technically demanding tasks directly to ensure delivery to professional broadcast standards.

End credits of the movie (Click to enlarge)

Peer Review and Selection:

This project was not competitive-submission work; it was a professional industry commission facilitated through RIT's MAGIC Spell Studios affiliation. The work was evaluated by the director and production team against theatrical release standards before integration into the final cut. In the context of creative scholarship, professional production review of this kind functions as a form of expert peer evaluation.

The completed sequence was incorporated into the final edit, with its length shortened by Indian censor board DCP submission timelines.

Dissemination:

Theatrical release in India and North America, October 14, 2022
Rochester theatrical run at Regal Henrietta 18, with four daily showtimes, Feb 14-19, 2022
University of Rochester Medicine news article: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/aye-zindagi-premiers-in-the-us
Special screening at MAGIC Wegmans Theater, Rochester, December 2022
Trailer: 6 million views on YouTube
Full film: 2.5 million views on YouTube

Recognition and Significance:

Beyond the theatrical release, the project reached a substantial online audience: the trailer has accumulated approximately 6 million views on YouTube and the full film approximately 2.5 million views.

Official trailer on YouTube

Total views: 6.1 Million

Full film available on YouTube after theatrical release

Total views: 2.5 Million

Pedagogical Connections:

The work demonstrates the direct application of technical expertise developed through research and teaching to a professional industry context. Niagara particle systems techniques used in production are the same techniques taught in the Particles and Dynamics course. The Unreal Engine pipeline used for real-time lighting and rapid rendering iteration reflects the same real-time production methodology that runs through my core research cluster.

Two students received direct supervised experience on a theatrically released feature film, connecting the professional work to the pedagogical dimension of the tenure portfolio.